Measuring the birefringence and diattenuation of silicon waveguides using optical test points (Conference Presentation)

The integration of photonic circuit technology has exploded beyond optical interconnects for communications to viral sensing in biomedical studies and object detection in LIDAR. Using high index difference materials, as those commonly used in the silicon-based platform, allows for strong confinement and integration of electro-optic components for signal processing/integration with current semiconductor technology. However, the large index difference also results in significant birefringence in the waveguide leading to rapid changes in polarization for mixed modes. Tracking the polarization changes and correcting for errors requires meticulous and thought-out design with precise knowledge of waveguide lengths. In this talk we describe a new method to monitor the polarization of optical waveguides, along with measuring the birefringence in silicon waveguides using optical test points.